


The Hidden Riches of Secret Places

by annathaema (moony)



Series: The Vanishing Breed [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, And Grogu Too, Deleted Scenes, Din Djarin Needs a Hug, Established Relationship, Force Telepathy (Star Wars), Force-Sensitive Din Djarin, Force-Sensitive Leia Organa, Gen, Gratuitous use of metaphors, Han Solo cameo, I Tried, Interlude, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Mandalorian Culture (Star Wars), Mentioned Ben Solo, Oaths & Vows, Post-Canon, Protective Siblings, Romance, Space Mom Leia Organa, There's Only One Word of Mando'a and It's Spelled Phonetically
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:14:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29279787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moony/pseuds/annathaema
Summary: Luke reached up and placed both hands on either side of Din’s helmet, but did not lift. He ran his thumbs along the curve of it instead.“What would you want, Din Djarin, that I could give you?” he asked. "Please, tell me."—A winter's night on Chandrila.Set after the events inHis Beacon, His Harbor.
Relationships: Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa/Han Solo
Series: The Vanishing Breed [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2087352
Comments: 89
Kudos: 683





	The Hidden Riches of Secret Places

**Author's Note:**

> I had a couple of paragraphs of an epilogue for HBHH which were cut, and decided to expand on them for fun and tada! it became a ficlet. 
> 
> Takes place a few weeks after that story.
> 
> Thanks to Mad_Lori for the beta and Needlefrost for the emotional support! :D And thank you Discord folks for pointing me toward Mandalorian pronunciation.
> 
> Title taken from the Bible (Isaiah 45:3).

'I will go before you

And make the crooked places straight;

I will break in pieces the gates of bronze

And cut the bars of iron.

I will give you the treasures of darkness

And hidden riches of secret places...'

—

“Han _will_ get over it,” said Leia as she sat down across from Luke. “Eventually.”

“I know, he’s had worse,” said Luke, curling his legs under him. The kitchen floor of Leia’s grand home in Hanna City wasn’t the most comfortable, but it was very fancy and clean, and Luke could appreciate the intricate pattern engraved into the tile. He traced it with one gloved finger and wondered if it came with the house or if Leia had picked it out.

“Still, it’s not the best first impression,” he said. “Punching your lover’s brother-in-law.”

Leia laughed and sat across from him. She tucked her toes under his thigh and Luke shot her a look. “They’re always cold,” she said by way of explanation. He shook his head and adjusted his leg to cover more of her feet. She beamed and wiggled them.

“He’s the one from my vision, you know,” she said. Luke looked away.

“I know.” They hadn’t really talked about Leia’s vision since she told Luke of it, long before Din’s arrival, before Luke had even heard Grogu’s call for help.

Leia nodded. “I recognized him immediately. The warrior, the sorcerer, and the broken land.”

“Mandalore,” said Luke gravely. “The broken land, I’m sure it must be Mandalore.” He looked at Leia. “You’ve seen the Darksaber. It belongs to him, though he refuses to accept it.”

“He showed me,” Leia sighed. “He’s going to have to accept it—it will never be won from him. I know you know that.”

Luke nodded. He’d seen that vision himself. “I haven’t the heart to tell him,” he said. “He keeps hoping for some miracle to rid him of the burden of command.” It broke Luke’s heart when Din spoke so hopefully of a future _without_ the Darksaber, because the vision had been clear: Mandalore would be reborn under Clan Djarin, followed by the Hundred Years’ Peace—an era of a warless Mandalore united under the symbol of the Mudhorn.

The vision had shaken Luke from a sound sleep, his eyes snapping open to a house stilled under the thin gray light of encroaching dawn. The fire in the bedroom hearth had been long dead and left behind a chill in the air that rattled Luke to his marrow. On instinct he’d burrowed closer to the warm body next to him until Din curled around him like an exhale. Luke had drifted back to sleep, but it was fitful at best.

By morning he had almost convinced himself it was just imagined nonsense until a comm from Leia confirmed it was no dream but a message shared by two.

“He’ll be waiting a long time,” said Leia. “You need to reason with him.”

“You think I haven’t tried?” Luke shook his head, exasperated in a way he only allowed Leia to see. “Leia, he doesn’t see himself as we see him. He doesn’t think he’s noble, or brave, or any such things. He knows he has strengths, but he fixates on his weaknesses. The loss of his people haunts him, the place he knew as home is gone, taking everything he had in the world with it. And he blames himself for every single terrible thing his child has ever endured,” said Luke sadly. “Because of that he doesn’t trust himself to know what’s best for a planet and a people he’s only just realizing he knows nothing about.”

Leia sighed. “I might know a little about that,” she said. “I don’t know everything about every planet in the galaxy, yet I work for the people who would govern them. I do it because I’m good at it and it’s expected of me, and because I believe with my whole heart that the galaxy should be free.”

“Din doesn’t think what he wants matters,” said Luke. “And I have no desire to tell him that in this case”—he sighed dejectedly—"he’s right.”

They sat in silence until Leia made a frustrated noise.

“That’s it,” she said. “I was saving this for later, but apparently we’re going to talk about deep shit so I think it’s appropriate.” She scooted across the kitchen floor and reached into a cupboard, pulling out a dusty bottle. Luke peered at it curiously.

"That's Alderaanian wine," he said. "There can't be a lot of that out there. You sure you want to waste it on me?"

Leia lifted a hand and summoned two glasses and a corkscrew from various parts of the kitchen. They drifted into her hands and she plunked one glass in front of Luke.

“Yes, I am," she said. "You're right, there isn't much of this left. This belonged to my father.” She dug the corkscrew in and twisted until it popped. She sniffed at the bottle, then poured Luke a generous glass before filling her own. "Han hates it, so you're my excuse."

Luke took a sip. “Starblossom," he said. "This is _hellishly_ sweet.”

Leia took a swallow. “It is,” she said. "It's why I save it for special occasions, such as when my brother brings a nice boy home to meet the family." She swirled the wine in her glass. “Are you training him the Jedi way?" she asked. "I know you’re teaching him to use the Darksaber, but what about the rest?”

“He doesn’t realize it’s Jedi training,” said Luke, leaning back against the cupboards. “Or he does, but has yet to reach a point where it bothers him. He comes to Grogu’s sessions every day, and I know he studies with him while I meditate at night.” Luke smiled fondly. “He thinks he’s there to help Grogu and learn the Darksaber, but Grogu needs no help and Din’s likely the most adept wielder of that weapon in the galaxy at this point. Grogu is however just as invested in his father’s training as I am, so we let Din think what he wants.”

“What of your plans for a new Jedi temple?” asked Leia. She scooted over until she sat next to him and Luke leaned his head on her shoulder. She smelled of soap and clean things, the tartness of wine, whatever she used in her hair—familiar things. Luke wondered how he’d managed to live so long without the warmth of her presence.

“I have dedicated this time to Din and Grogu’s training,” he said. “Once I am satisfied with their skill level, I will find and bring in other students to learn with them. In time, they’ll train their own padawans. For now though, it’s just us.”

“That’s noble of you,” said Leia. “Din will be very fearsome when you’re through with him. You realize that? What you’re creating?”

“I am,” said Luke, taking another sip. It was just shy of _too sweet_. "He's already fearsome. He could lay claim to Mandalore now and no one in their right mind would challenge him.”

Luke tried to ignore the involuntary shiver at his own words. He refused to admit that he often thought of his Reluctant King sprawled on a grand throne with the Darksaber ablaze in his hand. Luke didn’t know if that was how Mandalore treated its rulers—was there even a throne at all?—but it was a happy daydream he indulged in while watching Din run through saber drills. His Mandalorian looked every bit the warrior-king as he slashed the air and dispatched whatever enemy he had in his head. It made Luke weak in the knees to watch and eager to touch him in the dark.

Luke must not have hidden his feelings well enough, because Leia’s eyes widened and a sly smirk spread across her face.

“You have thing for authority, dearest,” she said. “A princess, a legendary smuggler, and now the fucking _Mand’alor_.”

Luke shot her a withering look. “ _And yet_ ,” he said pointedly, “he would rather lay down the Darksaber and walk away. He tried to yield to Bo-Katan minutes after he won it from the Imperial, before I arrived.”

“How do you know?” asked Leia.

“Grogu showed me,” said Luke. “Din wasn’t trying to win a planet, he wasn’t even trying to stop an Imperial plot. He was only there to rescue his child. The fight with Gideon was not his idea. It was for survival. For Grogu.” Luke sighed. “Din’s is a beautiful, dangerous loyalty,” he said. “I hope he never loses it.”

“Would it turn him, do you think?” asked Leia carefully. “Think about it, really think about it.”

“No,” said Luke decisively. “His first instinct when introduced to the Dark Side was to push it as far away from himself as possible. He wouldn’t turn, Leia.” Luke shook his head. “I’m sure of it. I’m sure of _him_.”

Leia took a healthy drink from her wine. “I think I already knew that about him,” she said. “Because he reminds me of _you_. And I don’t think _you_ could ever turn, either—I don’t give a _shit_ what you say about _the eternal battle between good and evil that rages in my blah blah blah._ ” She flapped her hand at him. “You’re both good men. Boneheaded, but good. You should both have more faith in yourselves.”

“I have faith in Din,” said Luke with a soft smile. “I’m a work in progress.”

Leia hummed in response and Luke took a moment to close his eyes. Everything was pleasantly fuzzy from the wine—he could still think, but the constant, oppressive presence of the Force in all things he did and in all the thoughts he had was muted somewhat. He could breathe a little easier. Luke appreciated the respite; being a conduit was exhausting.

He chuckled to himself for no reason other than he felt amused.

“What?” asked Leia. She giggled a little. “Are we laughing at something now? Did I tell you about Han’s run-in with the droid vacuum the other day? We could laugh about that, it’s very funny.”

“No, it’s just—” Luke struggled for the right words. “Din has come so far, Leia. He came to me a broken man left with nothing, and while he’s not _fixed_ and may never be, he’s worked so hard to come back from it. He tries to be the father he wants to be for Grogu, and he tries to be whatever I need him to be.” Luke bit his lower lip, chest full of emotions he couldn’t dampen threatening to spill over. “He _is_ exactly what I need him to be.”

“Which is?” asked Leia.

“Himself.” Luke looked at his hands. “We have a good life together, Leia. We are walking the same path through our seasons. I would not change it for anything.”

Luke didn’t mention the nights when Din’s own mind overwhelmed him. He would retreat to his ship on those nights, where he would sit in the cockpit in full armor with his hands on the controls. He never primed the engines, he never touched a switch or a button. He never tried to _leave._ Din simply sat perfectly still and stared into the middle distance, or Luke assumed—even he couldn’t read Din very well on those nights, and Din spoke very little if at all.

So Luke would sit with him as long as it took and silently let Din work through whatever was hunting him that night, until he allowed Luke to take his hands off the controls and guide him back up the stone steps to the house. They would remove the armor together and then go to bed, where Din would seek comfort and they’d make love until dawn, until the last of Din’s demons had been chased back into the dark recesses of his mind. Din usually slept better for a while after.

They’d talked about it once, early into their coming together and after the first handful of midnight trips to the _Verdant Sun_. 

_“I could not leave,” said Din. “There’d be nothing left of me if I did.”_

_“That’s reassuring,” Luke had said._

_“I just—” Din had fumbled for the right words. “I need to know that I—I can’t explain it, but I don’t want you to think—”_

_“I don’t think anything, my love,” Luke said gently. “My friend Han is the same way. He has to know that if he had to go, he could go. The natural state of the wanderer is always having an escape route.” Luke tapped Din’s chin with one finger. “There’s a difference between you and him, though. A big one.”_

_Luke peered up at him. “Han goes,” he said. He poked Din in the chest. “_ You _stay.”_

Din hadn’t said anything after that, but it was a long time before the next rough night.

“He suits you,” said Leia, cutting into Luke’s thoughts. “He’s tall, shiny, and mysterious.” She poked him in the chest. “And you’re _you_.”

“Gee, thanks,” said Luke.

“Relax,” she said. “He doesn’t seem to mind.”

Luke shook his head. “I don’t deserve it,” he mumbled. “Not at all.”

“Fuck you, Skywalker.” Leia glared at him. “What have you done that makes you think you don’t deserve a thing like _family_?” She cracked her knuckles. “I may have given up Jedi training,” she said, “but I can still throw you across this kitchen.” She sniffed. “I can think of several people who would give you hell over such talk as well—and I’d start with the man currently intimidating Han in the living room.”

Grinning, Luke stretched his legs out in front of him and wiggled his bare toes. “Din said you were frightening,” he said. “When he met you the first time. He thought you were a queen and he was about to be executed.”

Leia snorted. “Did he really?”

“He did,” said Luke. “He said you were very beautiful and that he was terrified of you. I said that was a pretty accurate way to feel about Senator Leia Organa of Alderaan.”

“I _was_ beautiful and terrifying,” said Leia cheerfully. “I wanted to get an idea of him before I sent him to you. I knew he was the one, but I needed a deeper look.”

“He’s a sweet, kind, passionate man,” said Luke. He hadn’t initially thought such words could describe a man who had looked so rough, so intimidating, but he’d learned quickly that those words absolutely applied to Din Djarin. The beskar belied the man inside it. “You wouldn’t think it to look at him. He carries himself completely differently in and out of the armor, and not for the obvious reason.”

“It seems like his armor is the heaviest thing in the galaxy,” said Leia softly. “Like every step takes him further away from wherever he wants to be. Even in my office—he was in street clothes, his face covered, and he still walked as though a thousand black holes pulled at him from all directions.”

“He doesn’t wear the armor much at home,” said Luke. “Grogu prefers him without it, and—well, so do I.” He smiled serenely as Leia cackled. “He’s lovely underneath it all,” he added. “Very _nice._ ”

“I bet.” Leia twinkled at him. “He looks very strong.”

“ _You have no idea_ ,” said Luke gravely. Leia giggled like a child and Luke committed the melody to memory.

“Is he handsome?” asked Leia dreamily. “I only saw a scrap of his face.”

“He is,” said Luke with a laugh. “His eyes are brown—like leather, like the leaves here when the weather turns. Sad, but friendly.”

Leia sighed happily. “Listen to you,” she said. “He’s made you into a terrible poet. I love him for that alone.” She rested her chin in her hands. “Does he ever _leave the helmet on_?”

Luke sat up. “ _Madam Senator_ ,” he said, aghast. “What would the Republic say?”

“Oh, to hell with them all,” said Leia. “My brother’s in love with the warrior-man that I gave him and I want all the details.” She leaned forward. “Tell me something about him that makes you happy.”

Luke huffed. “Everything.”

“You can do better than that,” scolded Leia. “You always notice the little things about people. Tell me a little thing about your wayward bounty hunter.”

Luke tapped his chin. He thought of the thousand things that made up the person he loved so fiercely he thought he’d die from it, but they all felt too intimate to share, even with his sister. She couldn’t know the imprint of the pillow on Din’s cheek every morning. She had no right to the play of sunlight in his hair when he sat on the beach and popped clams open so Grogu could eat the insides. Leia didn’t need to know that Din had somehow found some children’s books during a supply run and read to Grogu from them every night. None of those things were for her.

And no one but Luke was allowed to know what Din sounded like in ecstasy, when Luke took him apart on those very occasional nights when _close_ wasn’t close _enough_ and Din came to him looking for touch. Luke would take that sound to his grave.

He let the back of his head _thunk_ against the cupboard behind him. “He taught me to swim,” he said finally.

Leia made a surprised noise. “I’d never thought about that before,” she said. “That you wouldn’t know how to swim. But of course you don’t.”

Luke smiled. “It’s a wonder I didn’t drown in Dagobah.” He looked up at the ceiling. “He can sing. Mostly bloody Mandalorian dirges about war, but they sound nice. I don’t speak the language and he’s not really fluent; Mando'a is vanishing with their breed and only a handful of elders spoke it in his tribe. He’s teaching me as much as he knows.”

“What are some words he’s taught you?” asked Leia. “I know a little Mandalorian, some poems, but I couldn’t carry on a conversation if my life depended on it. My father was fluent,” she added, a bit sadly.

“Hmm.” Luke thought through some of what he’d picked up over the last year. Mostly nouns, verbs, a few shaky sentences neither of them were completely sure were right. Mando’a was a tricky language, but Luke was glad at least that it wasn’t Kubazian.

“ _Shar-ee-kah_ ,” he said carefully. “I feel silly trying to say it the way he does. He makes it sound much better than I do.”

“I don’t know that word,” said Leia.

Luke felt his cheeks warm. “It means _beloved_ ,” he said.

“Oh,” Leia breathed. “This is more romantic than any of the silly holos Han makes me watch with him.” She leaned against him, looping her arm around his shoulders. “You sound so _happy_.”

Luke felt her cautious optimism. “I am,” he said, and Leia’s relief flooded the kitchen. Luke sighed, content. “I never expected this, any of it. I heard a call for help and I answered, and...”

“And you returned with so much wealth, Luke,” said Leia. “You’ve outdone yourself. This is more impressive than the fucking Death Star, little brother.”

“I’m five minutes older than you.”

Leia rolled her eyes. “You know, I’m a public official,” she said in a conspiratorial whisper. “If you’d like to marry him in my living room, I can make that happen.”

Luke frowned. “If Din wants me to swear an oath or whatever Mandalorian culture requires, I’m happy to, but he calls the shots. If he wants more, I’ll go along wherever he takes us.”

Leia eyed him and Luke squirmed under her gaze. “Why are you leaving everything up to him?” she asked. “He’s about as well-adjusted as a bolraida. If you’re looking for forever, forever might pass you by before you’re sure of it.”

“You don’t need a marriage to be sure of someone, Leia,” said Luke lightly. “We’re fine the way we are. Don’t try and marry me off,” he laughed.

“Who’s getting married?” Han poked his head around the corner of the kitchen doorway and spotted them on the floor. He frowned at the two of them and the bottle of wine between. “Are you getting my girl drunk, kid?”

“It’s the opposite, I’m afraid,” said Luke, struggling to his feet. Han steadied him with a hand on his elbow and Luke smiled at him gratefully. “She’s a terrible influence.”

Leia floated their empty glasses into the sink and corked the bottle as Han offered her his hands. She took them and let him haul her up, staggering only slightly. 

“Please tell Luke to make an honest Mandalorian out of Din,” she said, nudging Han. “You’re his hero, he’ll listen to you.”

“ _You’re_ my hero,” said Luke sincerely. “And I’m not listening to _you_ , so Han’s shit out of luck.”

Han burst out laughing. “You want to get hitched to the tin can in there? You gotta be kidding me.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Speaking of, Asshole—”

“Han.”

“— _Lover Boy_ ’s getting antsy in there, you might want to roll out. Kid’s asleep, too.”

“You don’t have to _throw them out,_ ” said Leia. She looked at Luke, her eyes dark and rounded by the alcohol. “And you don’t have to stay at the inn,” she said. “We have a guest room, you’re welcome to it.”

Luke looked her in the eye. _Din would never take off his armor here,_ he thought clearly. _Especially not with Han trying to catch a peek every five minutes._ He wanted Din to _rest,_ not sit up all night with a blaster trained on the guest room door. _The inn is empty besides us. We’ll be alright._

Leia sighed, because Luke wasn’t wrong. “You’ll be back for breakfast, then?” she implored, hooking her arm through Luke’s and guiding him from the kitchen. “I don’t want you running off-planet without a goodbye, again.”

“I won’t leave without saying goodbye, I promise,” said Luke. He paused in the doorway to the living room, where Din was seated awkwardly in a flowered armchair by the hearth, a sleeping Grogu in his arms. He looked incredibly out of place surrounded by Leia’s elegance and Han’s negligence, and Luke felt the sting of longing for their little house by the sea, where Luke could breathe and Din could lift his face to the sun. They didn’t have a nice kitchen floor or flowered armchairs, but Leia was right when she called what Luke had _wealth_.

As far as he was concerned, Luke was the richest man in the galaxy.

Din immediately got to his feet, careful not to jostle Grogu. He always stood when Leia entered the room, which Luke found incredibly charming. He would have to whisper some sweet nothings later.

Luke’s Mandalorian enjoyed praise. A _lot_.

He joined Din at his side and touched the tip of a finger to the shell of one of Grogu’s ears. "Ben wore him out," he murmured. "He'll probably sleep the entire walk back."

“Do you want to stay?” whispered Din. “I can take him back to the inn.”

“It's alright,” said Luke, resting a hand on one of Din’s. “I was going to ask if you were ready to go. It was a long trip yesterday and tomorrow will be one as well. We’re not exactly neighbors.”

“Wait.” Leia elbowed Luke out of the way. “Would you like it if we took the baby for the night?” she asked, looking at Din. “We’d be happy to.”

“Leia!” Han made slashing motions over his own throat and shook his head.

“Oh, pipe down, Han,” snapped Leia. To Luke and Din she said, “We still have Ben’s baby things, I’m sure there’s a cradle still in the storage room. He’ll be fine for one night, and Ben can play with him in the morning if you’d like to _sleep in_.”

Shooting Leia a look that she merely winked at, Luke opened his mouth to decline—certain Din wouldn’t want to leave Grogu with virtual strangers, no matter whose kin they were. Din obviously respected Leia, but that didn’t immediately translate to _I trust you with my child_.

Then Din surprised the hell out of him by nodding at her.

“He’d like that.” Din carefully handed Grogu to Leia. “He sleeps well through the night, you shouldn’t have any problems.” When Leia gathered the child expertly in her arms, Din stroked the top of his head with two fingers.

“Thank you,” he said, before he turned to Luke. “Can we go?” he asked softly.

Wordlessly Luke nodded and took Din’s hand, their worn leather fingers twining together. He wondered what plans Din had for him that he was willing to let Grogu out of his sight for an entire night. Luke squeezed his hand and delighted when Din’s grip tightened ever so slightly.

“I’ll walk you out,” said Leia, always able to read a room. “Say goodnight, Han.”

“ _Goodnight, Han_.”

“Really?” she said. Luke laughed and followed her into the night, tugging Din along behind him.

—

Outside, winter had settled over Hanna City and soft flakes of snow had just begun to fall as Leia walked them to the garden gate.

“I’ll comm you in the morning,” said Luke, kissing her cheek. “Let us know if you need anything.”

“Get the hell out of here,” said Leia. “You’re wasting valuable time. Make the most of it.”

“Wait.”

Luke and Leia looked up at Din. He seemed to be thinking about something, standing still and looking at Leia. Luke felt her gentle curiosity nudging at his own mind. He closed his eyes for a moment.

 _He works things through before he speaks_ , he thought, relenting and letting her experience one of those lonely nights on the Verdant Sun, staring at the controls in silence while Din made sense of the things that happened to him. _Give him a moment to strategize._

Leia nodded with quiet understanding. Luke loved her so much.

With a little sigh Din seemed to reach some kind of conclusion, and without hesitation he reached up and pulled off his helmet. Leia’s eyes widened but she didn’t gasp; she had become only the fourth person alive to see Din Djarin’s face, and she understood the significance of that instantly. She knew it for what it was: a monumental, quiet, holy thing.

Din looked at Leia for a long moment, silent and searching, and Luke realized they were conversing through the Force. Din’s expression did not change except for the ghost of a smile dancing at the corner of his mouth, but Leia’s eyes were lit from within and she pressed a happy kiss to the top of Grogu’s head.

After some kind of silent understanding had been reached, Din held out his hand to her and Leia carefully shifted Grogu to one side so she could grasp it. Her lips parted when Din bowed his head and touched his forehead to her knuckles before he straightened and gently let go.

“Thank you,” he said, voice barely audible. Luke knew what he was thanking her for. She’d sent him to Luke, practically wrapped in a bow. Din didn’t know the reason why she’d done that, why she trusted him so quickly, but he knew he owed Leia something he could never repay. He’d told Luke as much on the way to Chandrila, and he’d worried she’d be disappointed in him. Even now, as he bared himself to her scrutiny, he worried that he wasn’t _enough_.

He really needn’t have worried. Luke could sense the single thought Leia allowed him to feel, loud and clear:

_KEEP_

_HIM_

_FOREVER_

When Din looked over at him, Luke leaned up and kissed his closed mouth. “I’m proud of you,” he murmured against Din’s lips before they parted. He waited until Din had the helmet back on before he hooked their arms together. “Goodnight, sweetheart,” he said to Leia.

“Goodnight, my loves,” Leia recovered enough to wave them off before she retreated with Grogu into the warmth of the house. They were halfway down the block before Leia’s connection to him rippled with reassurance that yes, his Mandalorian was in fact _very_ handsome and that she was open to trade negotiations. Luke politely kicked her out of his head and ignored the echoes of amusement she left behind.

He walked a little closer to Din as they made their way down the promenade in the direction of the little inn Leia had suggested. The snow had begun to come down in earnest and Luke drew his cloak around himself a little tighter.

“Alright?” asked Din. He untangled their arms and wrapped his around Luke’s shoulders. “It’s not far.”

“I’m fine,” said Luke. “I spent several weeks on Hoth, this is nothing.”

“It’s not Hoth, sure, but it’s still fucking cold,” Din grunted. “The absence of ice spiders is appreciated, though.” At Luke’s questioning look, Din chuckled. “There might have been a frog woman involved,” he added, the smirk heavy in his voice.

“Such a scandal,” said Luke. “The Mand’alor caught with amphibian temptress! Whatever will his secret Jedi lover think?”

“ _Secret Jedi lover,”_ muttered Din under his breath. “Why are you like this?”

Luke laughed and rapped his knuckles on Din's chest. “It’s a mystery, gorgeous.”

They walked in companionable silence along the river before Din took a deep breath. “I should tell you something,” he said. “I should have told you a while ago, but I didn’t think it mattered much, not where we are.”

“Hmm?” Luke looked up at the inscrutable helmet. “Is it bad?”

“Not really. It’s—I have enhanced hearing, in this thing,” said Din, rapping the side of his helmet. “Better than average, anyway. I can hear footsteps where there should be none and conversations from a fair distance.”

Luke paled. “You heard us in the kitchen.”

“Not everything,” said Din. The arm around Luke tightened. “Solo wouldn’t shut up so it wasn’t until he went to get you that I could hear everything else—spoken and unspoken.” Din’s hand rested on Luke’s hip, curled around it possessively. “Leia was attempting to _marry you off_?”

Luke groaned at the amusement in Din’s voice. “She fed me wine,” he said. "Always makes me chatty." He bumped his shoulder against Din's. “You should disregard everything you heard as the ravings of two short lunatics.”

“Even the part where you said you’d be happy to swear any oath I asked of you?” Din tugged Luke to a stop. The snow quickly gathered in Luke’s hair, but Din raised a hand and the snow parted over their heads, swirling around their legs and gleaming like stardust in the light of a nearby streetlamp. Luke could feel Din’s eyes fixed on his and he shivered, not from the cold.

“Well,” he said. “I meant that, of course.” The plumes of Luke’s breath fogged Din’s visor. He wished he could see Din’s face for this. “I _would_ swear my life to you, if you asked. I’d hoped you knew that.”

Din inhaled sharply. “That is a lot to ask of someone,” he said. “I’m not sure I could. Especially of you.”

“I wish you _would_ ,” whispered Luke. “I wish you would ask _anything_ of me. You never do, do you know that? You have provided for us since your arrival on Kokore, from hunting our food to making supply runs. You even chop firewood not just because we need it but because you know I like watching you chop firewood without your shirt on.”

Luke reached up and placed both hands on either side of Din’s helmet, but did not lift. He ran his thumbs along the curve of it instead. 

“What would you want, Din Djarin, that I could give you?” he asked. "Please, tell me."

Din swallowed audibly, then pulled away enough to look around at the deserted promenade before yanking off his helmet leaning their foreheads together. Luke _felt_ words he did not know the meaning of before they spilled from his own lips in a whisper that mingled with Din’s. It hung in the air between them, suspended on the backs of snowflakes, until it disappeared into the silence of falling snow.

Luke wasn’t completely certain, but he sensed that something between them had profoundly changed.

“What was that?” he asked. Din didn’t reply. “What did we just say to each other?”

Din pulled back and gave him the lopsided, uncertain smile Luke loved so much. He brushed a gloved thumb across Luke’s cheek and Luke felt the weight of the Force between them ripple with something new.

“An oath,” said Din softly. “Just as you asked.”

Luke’s eyes widened and the breath shook in his lungs. “Did you just _Mandalorian-marry_ me?” he demanded, a smile forcing its way to his lips. Din’s shoulders shook with laughter—joyful in its relief. “You did, you absolutely did, you ass. I know a vow when I hear one.”

“My life became yours the moment you touched me that first time,” said Din. “This is just confirming what I already knew. At least, in the eyes of Mandalore.”

“But I asked what _you_ wanted, Din!” Luke shook his head. “You selfless bastard, how are you _real_?”

“I _did_ get what I wanted,” said Din, carding a hand through Luke’s hair and cupping his jaw.

“Which is?”

Din smiled at Luke with naked devotion. 

“A clan of three,” he replied softly.

Luke kissed him then, again and again, and they huddled together on that empty city street as the galaxy spun on around them.

—

_The next day:_

“Hello, metal husband.”

“Leia, please.”

—end—

**Author's Note:**

> The Luke Skywalker in this particular galaxy far, far away is based a little on Ian McKellen: a delightful old queen who is Gandalf and also Magneto. He loves openly and without apology because his father couldn't.
> 
> "Hello metal husband" is from the Final Pam episodes of Monster Factory's Fallout series.


End file.
